Garrett M. Ryan is a theatre maker and facilitator hailing from Northeastern Ontario. As a theatre maker, his works have been produced in Canada, the United States, and Singapore. The 2022/23 Canadian tour of his work “The Inevitable Frankie Green” garnered several awards in multiple provinces. In August 2022 he completed his Master’s Degree in Theatre & Performance Studies at York University in Toronto, where he researched the application of theatre practices for aiding the development of youth in rural Northern Ontarian communities. Garrett is currently the Artistic Director at the Fringe North Festival in Sault Ste Marie and continues to work through his own company Bird On Stage Productions. He is passionate about sustaining / expanding the vibrant performing arts community in Northern Ontario.

This is Robert Leitner’s second time being involved with the Playsmelter Festival, with last years being his first time! Robert has just recently finished his time at York University’s acting conservatory, being trained in many different facets of theatre. You can normally find Robert working away at a Starbucks, but also keep an eye out for him this summer with “The Quickest Gun in the North”, being performed at On the Edge Fringe Festival, and Fringe North! Robert wants to thank his long time collaborator Garrett, for always sticking by my side. He also wants to thank his friends, family, and loved ones for all the continuous support.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Colton Gobbo began pursuing a career in acting with his first professional role at the age of 9 in YES Theatre’s production of HAIR, which led to his career in film and television. A graduate of the George Brown Theatre School and now residing in Toronto, he’s gone on to work steadily on a number of productions, including all three seasons of CBC’s Son of a Critch, both seasons of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Titans, and Everything’s Going To Be Great (Jon Baird). In 2020, Colton co-starred alongside Naomi Watts in Phillip Noyce’s The Desperate Hour, which had its TIFF debut in 2021. At the end of 2023, he closed YES Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Colton is beyond thrilled to be taking part in his third PlaySmelter Festival, and looks forward to it every year.

Based in Northern Ontario, Joël Giroux is a graduate of the now-defunct French Theatre program at Laurentian University. He’s thankful to have trained in theatre performance with Miriam Cusson and Alain Doom, as well as the craft of Clown with John Turner. Recent stage credits include Jersey Boys and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in Concert (YES Theatre, 2023).

Chloé Thériault is a Sudbury-based multidisciplinary artist having performed on stages all over the country. Her bilingual endeavours have led her to explore and perform in television, stand-up comedy, clown, circus and theatre. In 2022, Chloé has completed a Canadian tour of Un. Deux. Trois., a production of the National Arts Centre of Canada, where she shared the stage with 36 Canadian performers.

After writing and performing a one woman show (Le Sac d’École) which she has performed all over the province and Vancouver (2015-2024) and co-publishing a first book (Les Contes Sudburois 2022), Chloé is now writing a new piece called Patenteuses!.

Past theatre credits include Jersey Boys & Matilda (YES Theatre), JACK (Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario) & ODE (Théâtre Rouge Écarlate). We can often hear Chloé’s humorous segments on CBC radio (Radio-Canada; À l’échelle humaine).